This invention relates to a package and method of packaging snelled fish hooks which permits a fisherman to carry a supply of hooks in his pocket such that the hooks are quickly accessible and can be easily removed from the package without loss, tangling of hooks, and with a minimum amount of handling of the hook.
The problems associated with attaching hooks to fishing lines are familiar ones to most fishermen. In an effort to avoid threading a hook on a fish line under adverse fishing conditions, it is common for the hooks to be sold with a short leader, or "snell", already tied to the hook. The opposite end of the snell terminates in a loop which is much easier to tie to a fishline than the hook. In cold weather, or unstable conditions on a boat, it is a relatively simple matter to tie the line to the loop, without the need for handling the hook or threading the fishline through the relatively narrow metal loop at the end of the hook.
Current methods of packaging snelled hooks are not entirely satisfactory, principally because once the package is opened, the snelled hooks frequently fall out of the package and become entangled, or are left loose in a tackle box where they become a house-keeping problem. Accordingly, there is a need for a means for packaging snelled hooks which permits the hooks to be removed one-at-a-time from the package without the possibility of entanglement with other hooks contained within the package, and with a minimum of handling of the sharp hook.
In the past, numerous packages have been devised for holding snelled hooks. For example, Shannon, U.S. Ser. No. 966,609, discloses a flat metal plate having a roll at one end over which the barb of the hook engages, and having a fastening leaf riveted to the plate to retain the leaders in place. Similar packaging methods for holding a plurality of snelled hooks in parallel position are shown in Cantrell, U.S. Ser. No. 667,676, Crook, U.S. Pat. No. 2,530,292, and Kline, U.S. Pat. No. 3,115,723. The Cantrell patent shows a backing sheet having a spring-bar over which the ends of the hooks are looped, and a front panel which partially covers the snell to maintain it in place. The Crook patent shows a metal container having a plurality of compartments for containing snelled hooks, with the hooks extending forwardly over the front wall to maintain them in position. The Kline patent shows a flexible corrugated cardboard mount for snelled hooks having a slot at one end for retaining the hook members and a piece of scotch tape at the other end to maintain the leader lines attached to the mount. While all of these patents disclose useful methods for carrying hooks, the hooks are not contained within sealed compartments and are therefore likely to get wet or weathered, and it is also necessary to handle the barbed portion of the hooks to remove them from the container, presenting a potential safety hazard.
Another approach to packaging snelled hooks is disclosed in Willis, U.S. Pat. No. 2,422,870, which shows a plurality of snelled hooks attached in hook-to-leader fashion and wound around a spool. When a snelled hook is desired, it is simply unwound from the spool, and the hook portion is disengaged from the adjacent loop of the next leader and chain.
The packaging method and container of the invention are designed to provide the fisherman with easy access to each snelled hook within the package without possibility of entanglement, and with a minimum handling of the hook. It is an object of the invention to provide a snelled hook package in which the hooks are completely enclosed within the package, thereby preventing accidental attachment of the hook barb to clothing, fishing gear, and the like. It is a further object of the invention to provide a package in which the hooks and leaders are substantially sealed, thereby preventing contact with wetness which can rust the hooks. It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a package which is inexpensively manufactured and which meets all safety requirements of the law. These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention.